NewsKremlin warns of 'new world war' amidst accusations of Western fascism

Kremlin warns of 'new world war' amidst accusations of Western fascism

Russian Federation flag on the wind on the balcony on Soviet era block of flats is seen in Kaliningrad Russia on 7 September 2019  (Photo by Michal Fludra/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Russian Federation flag on the wind on the balcony on Soviet era block of flats is seen in Kaliningrad Russia on 7 September 2019 (Photo by Michal Fludra/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Images source: © NurPhoto via Getty Images | NurPhoto

2:01 PM EST, January 27, 2024

Vyacheslav Volodin, the Chairman of Russia's parliament - the State Duma, draws attention to the threat of a new global conflict. On the 80th anniversary of the end of the Siege of Leningrad, the politician expressed these concerns through a post on the Telegram messenger.

"Fascist ideology has become common among the leaders of NATO countries," asserts Volodin, echoing Russia's falsehoods. Moreover, he criticizes Western governments, primarily Germany's, for purportedly backing a genocidal policy in Ukraine. "This is a drastic direction that can instigate a new world war," he noted.

Historical justifications

Russia attempts to justify its nearly two-year aggressive assault against Ukraine, in part by claiming a requirement for "denazification" of the country. Russian President Vladimir Putin regularly draws parallels with World War II to validate attacks on its neighbor.

Simultaneously, he equates the invasion of Ukraine, which he authorized, to the defense of the Soviet Union during the lethal incursion of Nazi Germany. Moscow is keen on seizing the opportunity of various anniversaries to manipulate the memories of war victims for their propaganda.

The Leningrad ordeal

Eighty years ago today, on January 27, 1944, Soviet forces broke the blockade of the German Wehrmacht surrounding Leningrad, now St. Petersburg. Earlier, German troops had induced the deaths of about 1.2 million people in the city. Death came in the form of bombings, famine, and cold.

Germany's ambassador to Russia, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, labeled the blockade of Leningrad as "a particularly shocking and savage war crime amid a criminal onslaught on the Soviet Union".

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